Chapter 68

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter 68- Beastmen (9)

Gu Anran walked over the rough road, the rocks digging into her paws. She had decided to investigate in the only area of the carnival that had no games set up and now she had no clue where she was. There were no other animals or beastmen in sight, only the ominous howling of the wind. Apart from the howling, there were only two words to describe the current area…too quiet….way too quiet! Completely different from the joyous atmosphere from earlier.

Where is she? Gu Anran was at a loss. Based on her borrowed memories, the small beasts’ only ever hanged out on the prairie, the forest, or the hills a little farther away. Never has she been to such a bare area. There were only rocks and more rocks everywhere. A little weed here and there but not a single tree in sight. How strange.

Gu Anran licked some small scratches on her shoulder and abdomen. The scratches on her shoulders were especially serious, the skin having been scratched off and now the bleeding red flesh underneath were exposed. Fortunately, her saliva seems to have stopped the bleeding and even seemed to have a pain-relieving function as it didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. Otherwise, she would be gritting her teeth in pain by now.

She received these wounds when she carelessly fell off a small cliff earlier. She had initially walked over here to find Mu Qingli but as she continued to move forward, her surroundings became more and more bare. She then decided to turn around and look somewhere else when she stepped on a loose rock. She never expected that the loose rock would turn out to be the ground and then crack underneath her. When she stepped on it, it wobbled and then cracked, causing her to lose her balance and fall.

After she fell, she thought she could easily climb back up but with the help of the moonlight, she realized that the cliff was a little too steep for her tiny beast body. When she looked up, she could barely see the tip of the cliff she fell from. In fact, she should be lucky to have only received a few scratches from that fall. If she was a normal animal, she probably would either be seriously injured or have died on the spot. Although being seriously injured would’ve been no different from dying as there are no beastmen here to save and treat you.

So what should she do now?

She looked around exasperatedly. She had been walking for a while now, but the scenery never changed and she had seen the same rock walls over and over again. The height of these rock walls were at least three stories high, which was much too high for her currently little body to climb up. Even if she tried, she would most likely just fall down again and hurt herself even more.

Thus, Gu Anran did not want to take such a risky bet. Furthermore, from the way the weeds growing on the rock walls were swaying, she could tell that the sind must be very strong up there and so climbing will be even more dangerous. That said, what else can she do? Do any beastmen even pass by these parts?

And….she had a dangerous feeling about this strange place.

She felt like she was locked in a huge prison, with no hopes of anyone saving her nor any hope of getting out herself.

Suddenly she heard faint noises up a head and she slowed down as she turned the corner.

A small fire appeared in front of her with several beastmen sitting together and roasting something.

All of the beastmen were middle-aged rough men who exuded a bloodthirsty killing intent. Unlike the strong yet gentle beastmen she has seen thus far, these men had eyes full of hostility and violence.

A burnt smell filled the air. She hasn’t seen a single animal in this canyon, so what were they roasting? Gu Anran crept closer for a better look and almost screamed at the sight.

A…a hand! She stared at the hands that were burnt a little black and then glanced at the even larger pieces of meat beside them. There were even a pile of bones not too far away and one could infer that they probably belonged to the beastman whose flesh was being roasted right now. And….a strong stench of freshly spilled blood drowned out the burnt smell.

Even worse, the head of the dead beastman was still halfway stuck on his neck and one could easily tell just how this poor beastman died. His expression was full of fear and anxiety, the eyes still wide open and glazed over with a strong look of hatred. The eyes felt like they were staring straight at Gu Anran and she shuddered at the sight.

She moved to retreat when a voice made her stop. A young and slender beastman exuding a dark aura made his way to the fire with another group of beastmen behind him.

The beastman roasting the flesh immediately cowered when he saw the young man and respectfully offered up the roasted meat to the young man.

At the same time, the system’s voice sounded out in Gu Anran’s head.

「Ding! Attention! Attention! Attention! The male villain lead, Mo Du, has appeared. 」

T-the male villain lead?! No matter how evil or vicious the other male villain leads were previously, none of them resorted to cannibalism, alright!

Gu Anran wordlessly watched as the male villain lead ruthlessly took a big bite of the meat. She had no idea what he was saying to the others, but just the sight of him swallowing the meat made Gu Anran feel nauseous.

This is the male villain lead she and Hong Qingyi has to defeat? How were they going to defeat someone like thim? If he can even fearlessly eat human flesh, then he probably isn’t afraid of death either and there are so many beastmen following his example too. It was scary to even think about it.

She decided to make a quick retreat first and think up a few countermeasures she can discuss with Hong Qingyi later.

She made up her mind and turned around. She needs to protect herself first and foremost. If these beastmen even dare to eat their fellow beastmen then what would happen to her if she was discovered? She wasn’t sure, but she knew without a doubt that she would definitely die if they caught her.

Unfortunately, man proposes but the Heavens disposes*. When she made a small step back, her paw crunched loudly against the gravel beneath her. (T/N*: man proposes but the Heavens disposes is an idiom where one’s plans are derailed by forces outside of their control)

“Who’s there?” One of the beastman’s ears flickered in her direction and immediately stood up to face her hiding spot.

Gu Anran was paralysed with fear and she didn’t dare to move as she prayed they wouldn’t discover her. She tried to minimize her body and hide, but she forgot one thing. A beastman’s sense of smell allowed them to find their prey even if they cannot see it.

Gu Anran also didn’t know that the smell of a beast like her was different from that of ordinary beastmen. The smell of a beast virtually disappeared once they turned into a beastman and the only indication that a beastman wasn’t human was the ears and tail left behind from the transformation.

However, the little beasts are different. There was a scent on their body that was impossible to conceal. On one hand, this was a safety function to allow their parents to find any lost children and use it as a tracking mark but on the other hand, it also left them vulnerable because their beast scent was very strong.

“It seems we have a little mouse in our midsts!” Mo Du sniffed deeply and a smile flashed in his eyes. He motioned for several men to slowly approach Gu Anran’s hiding spot.

Of course, Gu Anran, who was hiding in the corner, didn’t realize the pinch she was in. She only realized that something was wrong when the conversations suddenly grew quiet and only the crackling of the flames could be heard.

Suddenly, she was lifted up by her neck and her entire body dangeld in the air.

It’s all over!

These words flashed in her brain as she faced the malicious glee on the beastmen’s faces. The glee on their faces was not from seeing a cute little beast, but the glee from seeing a delicious piece of meat.

Bang!

Gu Anran was roughly thrown onto the ground in front of Mo Du.

“Ahem….” Gu Anran endured the new pain coming from her body and slowly got up. She looked up at Mo Du. Mo Du was actually a…..

“I am a lion. Surprised?” Mo Du said mockingly when he saw the shock on her face.

As expected, Gu Anran did not reply to his question but her thoughts were not so quiet. From her impression, all of the lion beastmen were kind people with strong and hearty personalities. Someone like Mo Du was completely different from her image of the lion beastmen.

She looked him up and down and when she reached his legs, her eyes widened. Mo Du’s right leg was much shorter than his left one….he has a lame foot! She didn’t notice it earlier because of the distance but she could see it clearly now she was up close.

Ah…..now she understood why the male villain lead would have such a ruthless personality…

Maybe it was because the pity in her eyes was too strong or Mo Du was extra sensitive to this stuff, but he suddenly kicked her in a fit of emotional outburst.

Dong!

Gu Anran flew backwards and her back violently collided with one of the hard rock walls. Her hind legs were also pierced by one of the protruding rocks and began to bleed. The strong scent of blood made the other beastmen lick their lips in excitement, and they looked like they wanted to pounce on her.

“Cough cough… cough cough…” Gu Anran trembled with pain. She guessed her ribs were probably broken and when she tried to stand up, her back burned in agony. It seems there might be a few fractures on her spine too. She was surprised she hadn’t fainted, but perhaps the sharp piercing pain in her hind legs forced her awake.

She was grabbed by the neck again and was lifted into the air. She strenuously opened her eyes. It was Mo Du who grabbed her again. He looked at her like he was not looking at a living creature but a toy or like she was a ghost he was looking straight through.

“You’re Gu Bing’s daughter?” ” Mo Du narrowed his eyes, and finally remembered why the little wolf was so familiar to him.

He released her and Gu Anran fell on the ground. Another wave of pain rippled through her and she immediately called out in her mind to the system.

Quickly, give me some painkillers! The cheapest kind!

「Does the player want to purchase a painkiller that works for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, half a day, or one day? What type do you want?」

Give me the 15 minutes one first and I’ll buy more later if it’s not enough.

「Understood. Deducting 500 points to purchase the item <Pain, Pain, go away> and for the player’s convenience, I will be putting this directly into the player’s mouth.」

Gu Anran was about to complain about the item’s name when she felt the pain suddenly fade away.

“Who is your father? Duan Ming?” Mo Du looked down at her condescendingly with an expression she couldn’t understand. Sadness? Pain? Jealously? Either way, it was a very complicated expression.

Could it be that he was her mother’s old flame?

Gu Anran wondered and opened her mouth, “I don’t have a father. My other mother is Chi Wenyan.” Her voice sounded hoarse and scratchy. Fortunately, she took the pills or else she would also be panting with exertion as well and her words would be indiscernible.

“Really?” Mo Du looked shocked for a moment and then suddenly laughed hysterically. Under the stunned eyes of everyone around him, he suddenly sneered and waved at the others.

“She’s yours for the taking.” He said and then left without a second glance.

Gu Anran looked at the beastmen rushing towards her and closed her eyes in despair.

< Previous | TOC | Next >

Like this:Like Loading...